County's green acres won't be diamonds

By Paul Nelson

Published 10:48 pm, Thursday, July 24, 2014

Rotterdam

Schenectady County has struck out in its efforts to get the RC Little League to play ball.

League President Bob Carter said Thursday that the executive board for the league of about 425 players, ages 4 to 12, voted unanimously a few months ago to reject a deal to convert the nearly nine acres of county-owned green space at 544 Burdeck St. into baseball fields.

In January, the county announced that it had acquired the undeveloped land for $260,000 with the understanding that the RC Little League would cover the costs to convert the parcel into playing fields and then enter into a long-term lease with the county.

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Only a few months earlier, the Rotterdam Little League, which was experiencing a decline in enrollment, had merged with crosstown rival, the Carman Little League, to form the fledgling RC Little League. Carman also had fields that the Rotterdam Little League didn't.

"I know the county is not pleased but that's not my fault," said Carter, stressing he was affiliated with Carman and not involved with the nearly decade-long push to get Rotterdam Little League its own permanent diamonds.

Former Little League president Bob Caprara was in on some of those discussions. He expressed disappointment Thursday with the decision by the RC Little League, arguing it shows their short-sightedness.

"They are not looking toward the future and just being narrow-minded," said Caprara. He said he regularly gets phone calls and runs into people in this suburb who complain about the way things are being run by the leadership of the RC Little League.

Carter said he was insulted by Caprara's criticism and cited the merger of the two leagues late last year as proof his group's vision and eye toward the future of youth baseball in Rotterdam. He shot back at Caprara.

"I think he's emotionally invested in that land and it's not in the best interest of the kids or Little League," said Carter. "You don't overextend yourself at the detriment of those kids, and to me that's not looking at the future of those kids."

Carter said the executive board studied the merits of the county's offer and concluded that the two leagues — even with their combined resources — didn't have the $1.4 million Caprara estimated in January it would take to make the fields suitable for play. Amenities such as bleachers, lights and a clubhouse would also be needed.

Carter was unsure if that figure was still accurate. He said he believes the county property could have accommodated three or four diamonds.

"We don't have a $1 million, we're a Little League, he said. "In a perfect world, if we had hundreds of thousands of dollars lying around, we would have built even more fields on that land."

He also noted that the RC Little League currently plays on several fields at Leonard C. White and Memorial Parks that are in "fantastic shape."

County Attorney Chris Gardner said Thursday that two other youth sports groups were talking with the county about possible uses for the Burdeck Street site.